Harlequinade Ballet

Earlier this week I went to the Kennedy Center to see the American Ballet Theatre perform Harlequinade. I did not know the story, so I was thankful there was a synopsis in the program. I wasn't sure what to expect when I came to the show. Here are my thoughts:

1. The sets were beautiful. They looked big and grand; you felt like you were right there with the characters!

This is Columbine's balcony (à la Juliet). Image found here

This is a drawing of the set from the second act, representing the ballroom. Image found here

2. Some of the costumes were really pretty, like that of the Good Fairy (who never danced, unfortunately) and Columbine's lark costume. See below:

Image from the Kennedy Center's home page, here

Image found here

3. But some of the other costumes were just strange. The father figure had a braided wig that came up like Pippy Longstocking, and Pierrot, the character of the father's servant, looked like a creepy mime with oversized sleeves. Several women wore what looked like silky shower caps, and some of the soldiers (including the children) wore fake paunches to give them larger bellies. Just, why?

SO weird. Image found here

Even the children dressed like that. Image found here

Note the shower caps. Image found here

4. Speaking of children, there were WAY too many of them. In the second act, there were more than 30 of them! And they danced for the majority of the second act! I didn't pay good money to go to the Kennedy Center to see children dance; I could go to some local recital if that's what I wanted to see. There were also a number of dancers who were clearly from the junior company; I'm not sure they added much to the show. In general the second act had a repetitive dance sequence, and the party scene was just boring, honestly.

SO. MANY. CHILDREN. Image found here

5. Although I thought some parts were silly or stupid, others were surprisingly funny. When the servant throws Harlequinade from the balcony, it's actually a life-size doll, so that was comical. When the father's henchmen came over to help remove the body, the limbs of the doll pulled off! And Léandre, the rich suitor, is extremely flamboyant and full of himself; Duncan Lyle was fabulous in the role. I did laugh out loud during some of these bits!

6. Multiple times throughout the show, the dancers would take a bow, completely getting out of character. That was so annoying! They know they'll get a curtain call at the end. Just WAIT!

So, not my favorite ballet. I liked that is was so short! But, then again, isn't that saying something...?